Delta Hot Tamales and Kool-Aid Pickles. Koolickles.

We got into Clarksdale for lunch, and wanted to go to Big Jim’s, but they looked closed.

Both Big Jim’s and the Double Quick across the street serve Kool-Aid pickles, also known as Koolickles. They’re made by emptying a pickle jar of at least half the pickle juice and replacing it with Kool-Aid:

They get this bright-red color:

It’s a really strange taste. It’s one of those things where you think it’s nasty at first, but as you have more of it, you really start to like it. I guess it’s like when you have your first Coke and it tastes a little weird but then you’re totally hooked…

Well, one Koolickle wasn’t really a proper lunch, so we went to Hick’s “World Famous” Hot Tamales:

…and got a half-dozen to share:

Yum! They’re all-beef and taste a little like chili on the inside. I think these might be my favorite tamales ever…

Driving to Auburn today for a conference, listening to the S-Town podcast for the third time. If you haven't already, it's...it's more than excellent. Based in Bibb County, Alabama. Complex, complex characters. 'Who'd take care of mama, who'd feed the puppies, who'd water the flowers, who'd prune the maze?' Indeed.... See MoreSee Less